Tired... or lazy? Let's talk....

This morning as I consider what to write about I'm feeling tired.  So I decided I should write about that, being tired.  Chuckles.  It doesn't seem like that interesting a topic but when you think about it, it is an important tool, to know how to gauge when we are tired and what to do about it.

Recently in a online chat with a friend on the other side of the country, she said,"I'm not felling well."  Followed by, "The house is a mess and I have no motivation to clean it."  I asked her if she saw the connection between the two statements, chuckling.  

My suggestion was to rest.  To recharge her battery. Then later when she had more energy she could do some housework.  The pile of dirty dishes wasn't going anywhere.  If she tried to do it while tired, it wouldn't be done properly and she would feel worse.  But if you rest when you are sick or are tired, when you feel better and have more energy, you work more efficiently.  

I have heard many friends say, "I'm tired." Or "I'm lazy.  I don't want to do anything."  Why do we feel like we always have to be doing something?  Why do we not understand when we are tired or sick, it's ok to rest and NOT do anything?  Why is resting translated into being lazy?  None of these friends are lazy.  In reality they probably do TOO much.  Many have children, husbands and jobs outside the home. 

So recently I have started to call resting, recharging my battery.  This helps me understand, sitting for 20 minutes, reading, or watching tv is actually an action of restoring my energy level.  Just like our car won't run without gas, our bodies and mind need to have energy renewed, not only drained.  We charge our phones on and off all day long.  Well, our body and mind is the same way.

Even when we are not sick or running on empty, resting regularly can improve our energy level.  I learned in a book that resting  twice a day for at least 20 minutes a day can increase energy levels.  At the time my youngest child was about 4 years old.  Sitting for a straight 20 minutes was actually difficult.  I had to set a timer and find something to do, like read or watch tv, so I wouldn't think of all the stuff I could be doing.  Also I had to train the 4 year old that I was sitting until the timer went off.  And not to interrupt my Quiet Time unless it was urgent, like she needed help going to the bathroom.

Three years later my kids know when I say I'm going to my room for Quiet Time they don't interrupt unless it's urgent.  In the beginning I also tried to schedule rest 4 hours after starting my day.  Now I can just gauge when I am tired and go take a break.  When I am sick or completely drained, I can allow myself to watch tv all day, and let the dishes stack up and NOT feel guilty.  Cause I know I am really doing something important, resting and recharging my battery.

Challenge: if you don't already make time in your day for rest or recharging your battery, give it a try for a week.  Set a timer for 20 minutes and sit. Read or watch tv.  Do some thing quiet. If you work outside the home, eat lunch in your car or sit someplace beautiful.   Increase to two resting breaks if you want.  

If you are suffering from fatigue or depression, leave a comment and I'll write about what can help those, too.